The community meal program at First United Methodist Church of Pilot Mountain has been in existence for years, becoming a reliable resource for many in the surrounding community. That changed when state mandates brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic caused a suspension in the meals. Now, the restructured program has returned and, while carefully meeting mandated guidelines, it is allowing more residents than ever to receiving meals.
Before the pandemic, in wasn’t unusual for 100 or more persons to fill the church’s Family Life Center for a meal. When the program was forced to pause, organizers were left well aware of the need.
“We’d seen the need,” program volunteer Renee Kiser noted. “The schools were helping but we knew there were people out of work and still people struggling.”
Last fall, the church revived the meal program in a drive-through format. Their assessment of need has proven accurate as numbers have actually increased. During a recent evening, some 142 meals were served in a 15-minute period.
“We felt like we needed to come up with a new plan,” Kiser said, “and it has worked well. We place the food in the vehicles and people are so thankful. It’s open to anyone and we don’t ask questions.”
Meals are served beginning at 5:30 p.m. on the first and third Thursday of each month. Serving is usually completed by 6 p.m.
Each meal is pre-packaged with a typical first-Thursday meal consisting ham, green beans, a roll, baked apples and a dessert.
“This is really a good program and it’s a good program to be a part of,” Kiser said. “It means a lot to me.”
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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